Microsoft to invest $3 billion in India for cloud, AI infrastructure, and skilling, says CEO Satya Nadella

Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella, during his visit to India, has announced the company’s plans to invest $3 billion in India in cloud, AI infrastructure, and skilling over the next two years, including the establishment of new data centers. This is the single largest expansion Microsoft has done in India, he said.

“We’ve always conceptualized and built Azure as the world’s computer. We continue to be committed to it because a fundamental realization is, AI doesn’t sit on its own and requires the entire group stack. And so, we’re building that out at a worldwide level. We have 60-plus Azure regions and 300-plus data centers worldwide. In India, we’re excited about our regions across Central India, South India, and West India. We also have regional expansion happening,” Nadella said, addressing the crowd at the Microsoft AI Tour.

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He added that the company will also support India’s long-term competitiveness by training 10 million people over the next five years with AI skills, as part of the second edition of its ADVANTA(I)GE India program.

“India is rapidly becoming a leader in AI innovation, unlocking new opportunities across the country. The investments in infrastructure and skilling we are announcing today reaffirm our commitment to making India AI-first and will help ensure people and organizations across the country benefit broadly.”

The Microsoft CEO also met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, to discuss the latter’s vision of driving “true AI innovation”, he said.

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In a LinkedIn post, Nadella said, “Thank you, PM Narendra Modi ji for your leadership. Excited to build on our commitment to making India AI-first and work together on our continued expansion in the country to ensure every Indian benefit from this AI platform shift.”